Getting started

How to start a journal when you don't know what to write

By the TeenExpressions team · November 9, 2026 · 6 min read

The hardest page in any journal is the first one. It looks so clean that anything you put on it feels like it might ruin it. Here's the secret: the first page is supposed to be a little awkward. Everyone's is.

Decide what kind of journal this is (for now)

You don't need a theme, but it helps to pick a loose direction so you're not staring at a blank page wondering what counts. A few options:

• A thinking journal for sorting out your day, your ideas, and the things you keep replaying.
• A creative journal for stories, sketches, poems, doodles, and experiments.
• A mixed journal where anything goes. Most journals end up here anyway.

You can change your mind on page 12. Nobody is checking.

What to write on page one

Skip "Dear Diary" if it feels cringe. Try one of these instead:

1. Three things you're curious about right now.
2. Describe where you're sitting using only sounds and smells.
3. Something you'd like to try without needing to be good at it.
4. Write a permission slip: "In this journal, I'm allowed to..."
5. A list of five songs that sound like this month.

Any one of those is a complete first entry. You're done. Close the book if you want.

How long should you write?

Ten minutes is plenty. Set a timer and stop when it goes off, even if you're mid-sentence. Stopping mid-thought actually makes it easier to come back tomorrow, because you already know where you're starting.

Supplies (you need less than you think)

A pen or pencil and something to write in. That's it. Colored pencils, markers, washi tape, and stickers are fun, but they're extras. A printable journal is a good option if you like structure: you print the pages you want, when you want them, and you can reprint a page you'd like to try again.

What if you miss a day?

Then you missed a day. Journals aren't streaks. Pick it back up where you left off, or skip ahead to a page that looks interesting. A journal you write in twice a week for a year is worth more than one you write in every day for a week and then abandon.

Keeping it private

Your journal is yours. If you're worried about someone reading it, use a code name for people, write about a made-up character who is "definitely not you," or keep the pages in a folder only you use. You never have to share anything you write unless you choose to.

No perfect pages required.